Two new polls from Reboot Illinois/We Ask America show Secretary of State Jesse White and Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka with commanding leads in their re-election bids.
White, who is seeking his fifth term in office, was the candidate of choice for 64 percent of the 1,070 likely voters polled, compared to 26 percent for Republican challenger Mike Webster. Five percent of respondents opted for Libertarian candidate Christopher Michel.
Three previous Reboot polls all have had White up by at least 30 percentage points.
Unlike Judy Baar Topinka— an incumbent who is running against a well-known candidate from an iconic political family — Democrat Jesse White’s campaign appears to on cruise control with a 38-point lead over Republican Michael Webster, said pollster Gregg Durham, chief operating officer of We Ask America.
In the treasurer’s race, Topinka again has a double-digit lead over her challenger, Democrat and Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon. Of the 1,070 likely voters, Topinka was the candidate of choice for 52 percent, compared to 34 percent for Simon. Four percent of respondents opted for Libertarian candidate Julie Fox. Previous Reboot polls had Topinka up by margins of 11, 19 and 19.
Judy Baar Topinka’s 18-point lead features an incredibly strong performance in the city for a Republican, said Gregg Durham, chief operating officer of polling firm We Ask America. Her 37 percent share of Chicago’s vote makes it very difficult for Sheila Simon to find opportunities to whittle the lead down. Even if the rumored enormous get-out-the-vote effort in Cook County is as successful as some predict, Topinka can survive.
